Jesus and Materialism in the Gospel of Mark

Abstract

The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus’ ministry and mission as a journey on “the way,” a journey to Jerusalem that ultimately results in his suffering and crucifixion. On the journey to the cross, Jesus embodies that which is least, vulnerable, and destitute in society, and he invites his followers to journey with him on the way. Robert Ewusie Moses argues that this invitation to discipleship is a call for believers to reassess their relationship with material possessions and their desire for wealth and power. Like Jesus, believers are to travel light on the way, for holding on strongly to possessions can be a hindrance for the journey. To embrace those in society who are least, vulnerable, and destitute is to embrace Jesus himself and the God who sent him. Traveling light on the way requires believers to place their trust in God, to depend on God to provide their needs. Moses shows that the journey is by its very nature a rejection of the status quo; it demands followers of Jesus to shun greed and the amassing of superfluous possessions that the world encourages. The book demonstrates that to be on this journey is to commit to the creation of communities of care, where those like Jesus—poor, vulnerable, and marginalized—are welcomed and cared for.